Virtuosic World Music Jams With the Touré-Raichel Collective

A unique collaboration between Israeli pianist Idan Raichel and Malian guitar master Vieux Farka Touré, the Touré-Raichel Collective produces a sound that spans continents and genres, reveling in the myriad ways music can transcend the barriers of country, culture and language. After a chance encounter in an airport, Touré and Raichel met up in the studio to record The Tel Aviv Session, a recently released collection of original songs based on their improvisational jam sessions. Now audiences will have a chance to hear this historic collaboration in person, as Raichel's jazzy, Middle Eastern-influenced sounds harmonize with the intricate African rhythms of Touré's virtuosic playing.

I am a longtime Idan Raichel fan, and prefer the work he has done with his own band, the Idan Raichel Project, to the style of music played during this performance. However, I think they are both consummate artists and was glad to be able to...continued

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Vieux Farka Touré – Guitar, vocals

Idan Raichel – Piano, vocals

Souleymane Kané – Percussion, backing vocals

Amit Carmeli – Bass, djoumbush, vocals

Vieux Farka Touré is a virtuosic guitarist hailing from Mali. His 2010 World Cup performance before a billion people in Johannesburg, South Africa propelled Touré to become one of the most celebrated African guitarists in history. With international acclaim still pouring in from his second full-length album, Fondo, Touré has not only distinguished himself from his famous bluesman father, Malian legend Ali Farka Touré, but begun to transcend the limitations of the world music genre itself. Dubbed “The Hendrix of the Sahara,” Touré released his latest album in spring 2011. The Secret includes collaborations with Dave Matthews, Derek Trucks, John Scofield, and Ivan Neville.

Idan Raichel garnered international acclaim when his debut album, The Idan Raichel Project, burst onto the Israeli music scene in 2002. A collaboration that brought together more than 70 musicians and colleagues, the record went triple platinum and changed the face of popular music in Israel. With an enchanting blend of African, Latin American, Caribbean and Middle Eastern sounds coupled with sophisticated production techniques and a spectacular live show, the release firmly establish Raichel as a new type of world pop star.

Souleymane ‘Souley’ Kané is from Niafunke, Mali. Talented from an early age, Souley was drafted as a young man into “L’Orchestre de Niafunke,” Niafunke’s regional orchestra, as a percussionist. There he honed his keen, innate sense of rhythm and his dexterity, quickly rising to the role of featured percussionist, playing djembe and calabash.

Amit Carmeli, born in 1970, is a unique bass player and magical vocal artist who leads ceremonies and sacred singing gatherings all over the world. He is the founder of ‘’music school of life,’’ where he teaches the ‘’wild root’’ meditation, leads the ‘’wild roots’’ ceremonies, and shares the wonderful triangle knowledge of Voice-Music and Life.